The present invention relates generally to oral hygiene apparatuses that produce a relatively high-velocity water jet to clean a person""s teeth. The apparatuses can be attached to a faucet to receive a flow of water therefrom. The apparatuses use the faucet water flow to produce the jet stream used to clean a person""s teeth and gums.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,470 discloses a water-jet system for use in oral hygiene among other purposes. The system has a diverter valve attached to a faucet, a container, a flow control valve, and a jet adaptor. The container has a wedged nozzle for joining to the diverter valve, a tapered nozzle connector at the end of the hose for coupling to the container, and a wedged nozzle for joining the jet adaptor to the flow control valve. Although this system has certain advantages in being able to mix an oral hygiene solution with water to be sprayed from the jet adaptor for use in oral hygiene, it also has disadvantages that limit its usefulness in many applications. The use of wedged or tapered nozzles provides the possibility that one or more elements will separate if inadvertently contacted. If the system is in use at the time this occurs, a substantial amount of cleaning of the user""s clothing or person as well as the area affected by spraying or spillage of water and solution may be required. It would be desirable to overcome these disadvantages of previous devices.
Another disadvantage of previous systems is that if the container is to be refilled with oral hygiene solution, the container must be entirely separated from the system before it can be filled with additional solution or replaced with another container with a different solution. In many oral hygiene apparatuses of this nature, removal and reattachment of the container from the system can be cumbersome and requires a significant amount of time to complete the operation. It would be desirable to overcome these disadvantages of previous oral hygiene apparatuses.
In their various embodiments, the disclosed apparatuses overcome the disadvantages noted above with respect to previous technologies.
The disclosed oral hygiene apparatus can be used with a faucet providing a flow of water. The apparatus can also be used with an oral hygiene substance. Such substance can be mouthwash, fluoride or other oral treatment, sodium bicarbonate or other relatively soft fine or powdered material that has a hardness less than that of teeth to avoid their damage, and/or toothpaste, for example.
The apparatus comprises a valve, a container, first and second coupling devices, a hose, and a jet tip. The valve is adapted to fit to the faucet to receive a flow of water therefrom. The valve is controllable to selectively provide the water flow through a first faucet orifice and a second auxiliary orifice. The container is used to hold the oral hygiene substance. The first coupling device releasably locks the valve in communication with the container so that the water flow can travel from the second orifice of the valve to the container. The water mixes with the oral hygiene substance in the container to produce a liquid mixture. The second coupling device releasably locks the container in communication with the hose. The second coupling device receives a flow of the liquid mixture from the container and supplies the liquid mixture flow to a first end of the hose. The liquid mixture travels from the first end through the hose to its opposite second end. The jet tip is coupled to receive the liquid mixture from the second end of the hose. The jet tip generates a spray jet with the liquid mixture flow for use in oral hygiene. For example, the spray jet can be used to clean the teeth and gums, to treat the teeth to strengthen them, to improve the appearance of teeth, and/or to freshen breath.
The container can comprise a cap portion and a containment portion. The cap portion can be removably secured to the containment portion to enclose the oral hygiene substance to prevent its escape from the container. The first and second coupling devices can be coupled to the cap portion, a configuration that permits the containment portion to be freely separated from the cap portion to load the container with the oral hygiene substance. The operation of refilling or changing the substance in the container, or replacing the container with a different container holding a different substance, for example, can be carried out relatively easily with the disclosed apparatus.
The first coupling device can comprise opposing spring-loaded levers operable to selectively couple and lock the valve and container in communication with one another, or alternatively, to release the valve and container from communication with one another. In a disclosed configuration of the first coupling device, the first coupling device can have a threaded end that can be screwed into an outlet member defining the second auxiliary orifice of the valve to secure the first coupling device and valve together. The first coupling device can comprise opposing spring-loaded levers for locking the first coupling device in communication with an inlet member of the container.
The second coupling device can comprise opposing spring-loaded levers operable to selectively couple the container and hose in communication with one another, or alternatively, to release the container and hose from communication with one another. The second coupling device can have a threaded end that can be screwed into an outlet member of the container to couple the second coupling device and the container together. The second coupling device can have opposing spring-loaded levers for locking the second coupling device in communication with a coupler of the hose.
The jet tip can define a passage with a relatively wide aperture at its base end tapering to a relatively narrow aperture at its opposite tip end. The base end with the relatively wide aperture can be coupled in communication with the hose to receive the liquid mixture therefrom. The liquid mixture flowing into the base end and through the jet tip""s passage is emitted from the relatively narrow aperture at the opposite end of the jet tip in a relatively high-velocity spray jet as compared to the velocity of the liquid mixture flow into the base end of the jet tip due to the tapering of its passage.
A coupling device can be used to couple respective passages of first and second elements in communication with one another. For example, the first element can be the outlet member of a valve or container, and the second element can be the inlet member or inlet portion of a container or hose coupler. The coupling device comprises an inner cylinder, an outer cylinder, first and second pairs of spaced plates, first and second levers, first and second pins, and first and second springs. The inner cylinder defines a passage. The outer cylinder surrounds a first portion of the inner cylinder. The outer cylinder has a closed wall defining an aperture through which a second portion of the inner cylinder extends. The second portion of the inner cylinder has threads defined on an outer surface thereof. The threads of the inner cylinder join with threads defined in an inner surface defining the passage of the first element so that the passage of the inner cylinder communicates with the passage of the first element. The first and second pairs of spaced plates are positioned on opposite sides of the outer cylinder. The first and second levers are positioned between respective first and second pairs of plates. The first and second pins extend through respective first and second levers and have ends supported by the first and second pairs of plates. The first and second levers are pivotally mounted to the first and second pairs of plates by respective first and second pins. The first and second springs have respective first ends fixed to respective first and second levers, and second ends fixed to the outer surface of the outer cylinder. The first and second springs bias respective first and second levers so that the locking ends thereof extend into apertures defined in the outer surface of the outer cylinder to engage with an annular groove of the second element that is positioned between the inner and outer cylinders so that the passage of the second element communicates with the passage of the inner cylinder. The first and second elements thereby are capable of being releasably locked together by the coupling device so that their respective passages communicate with one another. The first and second springs can have respective first and second ends fixed to respective posts defined in the first and second levers and the outer surface of the outer cylinder to prevent the springs from separating from respective first and second levers and the outer surface of the outer cylinder.
Details of the construction and operation of the invention are more fully hereinafter described and claimed. In the detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this disclosure, in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.